Avatar Innovations

Banpu Innovation & Ventures (BIV), a ventures division at Banpu, is focused on technology development via R&D, accelerator, incubator and corporate venture capital initiatives.

To provide sustainable solutions to climate change, we aim to boost the growth of clean energy businesses and to integrate energy innovations into everyone’s daily lives to create positive environmental impacts that accelerate Thailand’s transition towards a net-zero society. WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR TOWARDS A NET ZERO FUTURE? We are seeking collaborators who share our goals towards a net-zero society. Startups & Entrepreneurs: Startups and entrepreneurs with ready-to-implement innovations for climate change who seek funding. Venture Capital Fund Managers: Leading venture capital fund managers with outstanding track records who share the same energy-oriented investment goals and values to invest in sustainable solutions to solve environmental problems. Institutional Investors: Institutional Investors who share the same investment aspiration for a sustainable future and are willing to be a part of the same investment journey.​

Grok invests in technology enabled companies and projects that will decarbonise our planet. Lowering emissions, removing carbon, generating awesome returns - that’s our focus. We back teams in markets we understand - predominantly Australia and New Zealand, Singapore, North America, and Europe. At our core, we believe: Technology is the biggest lever we have to decarbonise the economy. Seeding and scaling climate tech into climate infrastructure is going to require trillions of dollars in private capital. We consider this the biggest economic opportunity of our lifetime. The funding requirements of climate tech and infrastructure are unique – the capital and capability needs to be flexible, focused and fit-for-purpose. SOLVING THE CLIMATE CAPITAL STACK: There is a major funding gap in climate tech. We solve this by investing equity early from our Venture team and when companies hit defined milestones our Infrastructure team can provide flexible forms of non-dilutive financing. We’ve been providing flexible funding since 2016. Our team brings specialist experience building technology businesses, investing across venture, infrastructure and debt, as well as owning and operating renewable infrastructure. We deploy this expertise to help our portfolio companies scale.

Shell Ventures works with startups and companies from their early stages to their scale and growth phases. We make minority investments that help to develop new technologies and disruptive business models that work to accelerate the energy and mobility transformation. Investing in venture funds and incubators is also critical to expanding our scanning capabilities, making introductions to great companies and potential investment opportunities. Investment domains Our investment focus is a mix of power, mobility, emission management, resources and digital: Power: We look for models that support commercial and industrial customers, help residential customers better manage their personal energy use, and commercial opportunities to bring power to remote communities. We invest in renewable power generation, which includes wind and solar, innovations in distributed energy solutions and novel storage solutions for renewable energy. Mobility: We invest across the transport industry in technologies and business models that are revolutionising the way we move the world’s growing number of people and goods, while balancing efforts to reduce CO2 and local emissions. Emission management: We invest in startups that help companies decarbonize across sectors. We look for emissions management solutions, negative emission -- both engineered carbon capture and nature-based solutions -- and innovations that empower the carbon market. Resources: We look for technologies or companies that create value to Shell’s core business. We invest in solutions that can help improve efficiency, make our operations safer and bring value to our customers. Digital: We are looking at new ways to analyse and interpret data, connect customers with new business models for mobility and energy services, and optimise technologies in the decentralisation of energy systems. How we support our portfolio companies Shell Ventures is more than a route for capital: we specialise in deployment and scaling-up, and have a team dedicated to implementation and deployment. We can offer companies access to technical and scientific expertise, research and development facilities, and can assist with field trial pilots to further develop and demonstrate concepts. We also provide unique access to a global customer base and to an extensive supplier and contractor network. Our investment strategy is to be a significant minority investor – a typical initial investment is $2-5m, with a total of $15-22m over the lifecycle of an investment. We will lead or follow funding rounds, which means we actively form syndicates with other venture capital funds and corporate venturing teams. Maintaining excellent relationships with leading venture capital firms is paramount to our success, as they are an important source of high-quality deals. We continually build and activate our network to create the best opportunities for our portfolio companies.

In September 2016, the Canadian Gas Association created the Natural Gas Innovation Fund (NGIF), an in-house project to focus its innovation agenda and targeting support for cleantech innovation in the gaseous energy industry. In 2020, CGA created CGA Enterprises and subsequently, under CGA Enterprises, a new corporate entity called NGIF Capital Corporation was established. NGIF Capital is a Canadian venture capital firm offering grant and equity financing for cleantech startups with solutions for the gaseous energy sector. NGIF Capital is unique as it brings Canada’s energy industry leadership to every investment taking startups and their ideas from concept to commercialization. NGIF Capital operates Industry Grants (the original Natural Gas Innovation Fund), the Emissions Testing Centre, and Cleantech Ventures. The team at NGIF is talented. We are forward thinkers. Innovators. Dealmakers. We are committed to driving innovation in the natural gas sector. We know natural gas is critical to the long-term well-being of Canadians, and indeed, citizens around the world. And we believe innovation in the sector will make the future of natural gas – and what it delivers – that much better. Our goal as a team is to deliver the highest quality service and products while positioning Canada’s natural gas as the most competitive gas molecule in the world, with the lowest-emission profile. Our experience, network, and success to date is the right formula for a prosperous tomorrow. NGIF Capital Corporation operates NGIF Industry Grants (the original Natural Gas Innovation Fund), the NGIF Emissions Testing Centre, and the NGIF Cleantech Ventures. NGIF Capital Corporation is wholly owned by CGA Enterprises, a venture of the Canadian Gas Association.

Over a decade supporting climate innovation Evergreen Climate Innovations, formerly Clean Energy Trust, supports entrepreneurs and startups that are bringing impactful climate technologies to market. Structured as a nonprofit, we pioneered our 501vc® Investment Fund to align philanthropic and corporate contributions to deliver environmental, economic, and social impact. Upon investing, we work actively with our portfolio companies to provide strategic guidance, mentorship, and help in achieving critical milestones and connections to funding, demonstration opportunities, and customers. Evergreen is committed to advancing climate innovation and expanding access to such innovation across the Greater Midwest. Critical early-stage climate solutions are underfunded Climate change is humanity’s greatest challenge but represents a small fraction of total venture investment and philanthropic support. Evergreen Climate Innovations addresses the capital gap that exists for early-stage climate tech companies. The Midwest is particularly underserved with only 3% of early-stage climate tech investment going to the Midwest. Our Impact Thesis We invest in startups developing innovative solutions with the potential to make outsized impacts on the climate emergency and related environmental and sustainability challenges. Moreover, these companies create jobs and drive economic development. Our 501vc® Investment Fund: a unique approach Evergreen’s 501vc® model is a seed stage investment fund capitalized with philanthropic dollars. Our fund’s revolving evergreen structure enables us to recycle our investment returns to generate compounding impact. Bringing Climate Technologies to Market Our unique model allows us to be more patient and absorb more risk than a traditional investor, helping to bridge the early-stage commercialization gap. We are hands-on investors. We work closely with our portfolio companies to identify and execute a clear, well-funded path to market. Beyond the money we invest, we provide invaluable resources and opportunities that arise from our extensive network throughout the climate tech innovation ecosystem that we have spent over a decade cultivating.